University Students Attend Small Arms Firing School at Butner

For the shooting sports to survive, and thrive, we need to bring new shooters into the game. It’s vital that young people get involved in compeitive shooting at an early age. It’s equally important that novice shooters get instruction and encouragement from skilled mentors.

Thankfully the Civilian Marksmanship Program is providing that kind of knowledgeable skills training through programs conducted throughout the country. Recently, at Camp Butner (North Carolina), the CMP offered a Small Arms Firing School (SAFS) taught by U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) experts. The USAMU trainers had a chance to teach members of the Liberty University Shooting Team. Here is the CMP’s report on the successful SAFS:

Liberty University Rifle Team Attends CMP’s Small Arms Firing School
Story based on report by Ashley Brugnone, CMP Writer
On a beautiful, sunny morning in North Carolina, over 40 bright-eyed students of all ages set foot on the grounds of Camp Butner Training Facility to take part in a century-old tradition that has trained thousands of new marksmen around the country — the Small Arms Firing School (SAFS). The class was held during the CMP’s Eastern Travel Games at the end of April.

Attending the SAFS were student-athletes of Liberty University, a private institution in Virginia. This year the school launched a new program with four shooting teams: rifle, pistol, shotgun, and three-gun. Among the Liberty University Flames and Lady Flames rifle team member are some accomplished shooters, but others are relatively inexperienced.

Susie Krupp of the Liberty Lady Flames team was the High Non-Distinguished competitor of the event, earning her introductory EIC points.

The SAFS course is a combination of classroom education and hands-on competition and safety instruction on the firing line. At the conclusion, students fire a true M16 rifle match, with the chance to receive Excellence-in-Competition (EIC) points towards earning a Distinguished Rifleman Badge – a prestigious achievement. All equipment is provided by the CMP — even the rifles.

This year members of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) trained students. Here SSG Amanda Elsenboss offers pointers to a Liberty University Service Rifle shooter. The USAMU video below features SSG Elsenboss, who has served in the U.S. Army for 8.5 years.

Executive director and head coach of the Liberty University shooting sports program, Dave Hartman, was impressed by the SAFS event and grateful for the education his team received. The university is already looking forward to next year’s Eastern Games: “What’s beautiful about this event is that our competitors can come to this event without any prior knowledge, they don’t need to have a rifle. They go through the classroom portion, and they learn a vast amount of information. And having the USAMU here was fantastic.”

Liberty Assistant Coach Richard Mast suggested to Hartman that it would be good for the rifle team to be able to shoot both smallbore and High Power, since the two classifications work well together. After having traveled to Eastern Games for the first time last year to take the SAFS course himself, and even going on to win the M16 match, Mast liked the close location of the event and suggested the team take the course as well. Hartman agreed.

Mast praised the USAMU trainers: “Having the Army Marksmanship Unit here was just fantastic. I personally learned, taking notes, and the kids were taking notes You have the best of the best here facilitating and coaching on the line, and they can immediately put into practice what they learn in a classroom environment. So this is definitely something that the students will say, that this was fantastic.”

Liberty University’s Marksmanship Program
The transformation of the idea of shooting sports at Liberty University into reality has much to do with the efforts of Dave Hartman, executive director and head coach of the Liberty University shooting sports program, and his ambition to help the school achieve its goal of marksmanship opportunities for students and the surrounding community. According to Brad Butler, the Liberty University planning coordinator, students have long been asking for a place to hone their firearm skills.

The school has already offered a free firearms safety training that over 3,000 students have taken advantage of, further showing the high interest. The university’s president has also been highly committed to supporting the Second Amendment, allowing faculty, staff and students to carry guns on the private campus as long as they possess the proper permits.

“The university has been whole-heartedly supportive of this endeavor,” said Hartman.

When it came time for a range to be built, the university spared no expense. Initially, after the plan was submitted to the university president for $1.5 million to get started on the large endeavor, he turned them down — astoundingly proposing $3 million for the project instead. Construction on the range, which was actually projected for a total cost of $3.2 million, began last summer. Spreading across nearly 600 yards near Liberty’s main campus, the new Liberty Mountain Gun Club covers all of the bases for marksmanship enthusiasts. With 100-, 200-, and 300-yard rifle components, a pistol/three-gun range that measures 80-yards wide and 50-yards deep, as well as a shotgun range that has an International bunker trap with an International skeet field overlay, American trap with an American skeet field overlay, 5-stand, wobble trap set and the beginning stages of two sporting clays ranges – there’s a little something for everyone.

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• CMP’s Rifle Small Arms Firing School Returns to Camp Perry
• USAMU Teaches 472 Shooters at Small Arms Firing School
• USAMU Conducts Small Arms Firing School at Camp Perry
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Tags: Camp Butner, CMP, high power, Liberty University, SAFS, Small Arms Firing School, SSG Elsenboss, USAMU